I am gungho about playing a mom on screen: Delnaaz Irani

I know that this might be my last innings as a ‘younger’ person on screen and with age, I might get roles of a mother. DELNAAZ IRANI, ACTOR

After her last two shows Jamai Raja and Akbar Birbal ended in 2016, Delnaaz Irani was on a break this year. “I was travelling four hours every day and shooting for 12 hours and aapki aadhi zindagi aise hi nikal jati hai (half your life is gone just like that). It takes a toll on your health and I am not in my 20s that I can manage this hectic schedule,” says the actor.

She did get offers for TV shows but turned them down when she learnt that they would have to shoot in Naigaon (outskirts of Mumbai) for the shows. “I needed a break from all that travelling. I decided to wait and I am glad I did, because I am excited about my new show. I hate it when people call it a comeback. There is no such thing. I hate the word. You haven’t gone anywhere and are continuously working except sometimes not on TV,” she says, adding, “I had quit Jamai Raja few months before it ended in 2016 and I was a part of Akbar Birbal for two years until it ended. Shooting for two shows in Naigaon was quite hectic. In 2016, other than these shows, I had taken up a Gujarati play and also shot for the reality show Power Couple. I was too busy.”

Delnaaz will be seen in a new show Ek Deewana Tha, where she plays a character with spiritual powers. She says, “I am very excited about my new show and role because it is unlike anything that I have done in the past. People have seen me in comic roles but this one has a dramatic shade as well. Doing comedy is fun but I want to learn something new with every role I play.”

The actor is also doing a musical play and has shot for a web series directed by Kabir Sadanand too, where she plays a mom. She is glad that people give her roles that are worthy of her talent. “I know that this might be my last innings as a ‘younger’ person on screen and with age, I might get roles of a mother. I am gung-ho about playing a mom on screen. I am going to shoot for a short film about a mother and a son. I am excited about exploring the digital space.”